I live at least 2.5 hours from decent fishing (American River in Sacramento - ughh!!), and 3-3.5 hours if I want a shot at a nice fish in a non-urbanized setting. Yes, it sucks. But what's worse is that to get to these locations near dawn I have to leave my house by 3:30AM at the absolute latest. The night before one of these trips I'm wound up so tight with anxiety about missing my alarm that I can't sleep at all. This leads to a less than enjoyable experience overall, and can be downright dangerous as I'm driving home in the dark on little to no sleep. With a 2 year old at home I get to go fishing one day a month tops, and I hate to see the experience ruined by anxiety based insomnia. Does anyone else go through this? How do you deal with it?

Yes, I experience that often, at least the restless sleep. Either anxious about the next days prospects or concerned about missing the alarm. Sometimes it helps me to pop a couple aspirin (seems to settle the nerves) but mostly just try to keep calm and realize that I never miss the alarm for things that I want to do.

Since you only get out once a month, is there a chance you could get out the night before (late, after the kiddo is in bed) to head to the river, and camp the night before? I've done that in the past (I have little ones as well) and it makes it a much more enjoyable experience, without causing extra stress for the wife. It might mean returning home a little earlier the following day as a compromise, but potentially worthwhile.

I don't get up early to go fishing... at least, not any more. I figure if you know what you're doing, you can adjust your tactics so you can catch fish any time of the day. Shoot... anyone can catch fish at dawn but starting at 11:00 AM is a challenge (which also gives you time to go out to breakfast and that can be the highlight of the day)

I live at least 2.5 hours from decent fishing (American River in Sacramento - ughh!!), and 3-3.5 hours if I want a shot at a nice fish in a non-urbanized setting. Yes, it sucks. But what's worse is that to get to these locations near dawn I have to leave my house by 3:30AM at the absolute latest. The night before one of these trips I'm wound up so tight with anxiety about missing my alarm that I can't sleep at all. This leads to a less than enjoyable experience overall, and can be downright dangerous as I'm driving home in the dark on little to no sleep. With a 2 year old at home I get to go fishing one day a month tops, and I hate to see the experience ruined by anxiety based insomnia. Does anyone else go through this? How do you deal with it?

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Ummm - dunno if I understand:

Not sure what the doings are with the equation 2yo = 1 d/month fishing "tops"; but hey - just a thought here, I don't think that's necessarily the universal lifestyle amongst married fisherman. Sounds like what you are doing is real long day trips - 6-7 hrs driving, a day of fishing, no relaxation in between, and maybe not so much when you get back?

Yahh, I can see all that as stressful, and no, I don't know anyone who does it quite that way.

Alosa, I go through this. Under no circumstances can I force myself to fall asleep if I’m not ready, but I can control when I get up. I’d rather enjoy a shorter relaxed trip than a stressed out all day trip. I do enjoy having a few drinks the night before to quiet the brain.

Usually only happens to me when I get a last minute call to go fishing with someone else early the next day, and my gear isn't ready for the trip, and I don't have any snacks ready to go, and I need to tie some flies or jigs and go to the store for supplies and fuel up the rig, etc... and I was told to meet at 5:30 or 6 am somewhere way out in the boonies or in my buddy's driveway even earlier.
But that late last minute call is much better than not being asked whether or not I want to go.

When I have an early morning flight for a trip to Alaska or a 2:30 am wakeup call for a 4-hr drive for steelhead, I'll set three or four different alarms a few minutes apart. It takes away the missing-the-alarm anxiety, but I'm usually still pretty wound up thinking about the upcoming fishing so end up going to sleep just as late. Just make sure to turn the extra alarms off if the first one gets you up, or your spouse may not be too happy with you.

I don't get up early to go fishing... at least, not any more. I figure if you know what you're doing, you can adjust your tactics so you can catch fish any time of the day. Shoot... anyone can catch fish at dawn but starting at 11:00 AM is a challenge (which also gives you time to go out to breakfast and that can be the highlight of the day)

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I'm like GAT, I don't get out till noon or beyond. These Montana fish are all well versed on what time to bite. When I was in Washington we always got up at O'dark thirty to go fishing. Now here in Montana these fish bite all day long. I might get up early but my fishing doesn't start until I feel I'm ready. About noon is just fine. When you get as old as GAT and I am we need our rest.

I heading on a trip to the Bighorn tomorrow and I guarantee I will not sleep well or if all tonight. The flight will seem to take forever, in fact I am pretty sure time will slow down.
This happens whether I am going to a dream stream like the Bighorn or getting up to throw flies and small cutties in the Cascades or the Cedar down the street.
I think it is a curse and a blessing, I hate to lose the sleep, but to still have the same excitement that I felt as a child waiting for Chirstmas morning is pretty cool.

I have a 4 year old, a 7 year old and a preggers wife. I have been hitting this day on the river thing to better understand WTF I am doing on Saturdays. And I get up super early on Sunday. Mostly so I have a decent place to park where ever I am going. I get really poor sleep because I am so excited! I miss out on the late afternoon and night bite though, and normally get skunked, mostly because I am new to this and I just keep figuring that more time on the water will eventually = more fish landed.

I fish every weekend and some weeknights when I can, but I live 30 mins from river or salt. I take my kids sometimes and that just turns into me tying their knots and stressing about how I will probably not be able to fish. But my kids love it. I try to get my wife involved but she is not interested in it. THANK GOD!

Fishing calms me like nothing else. I can for a couple hours forget about work, and when I am not with the kids, about the stresses of being a dad and husband. That is really important because if I don't get me time, I am a total dick to everyone I live with. For too many years I feared being away from the family because I thought my wife would resent it. I realized last year that we resent each other more by not allowing each other to go do the things that you love. So Eff it brother and fish on.